Mike Rollo was a UT student when he served as a manager and later trainer for coach Don DeVoe's basketball Vols.
photo by Tennessee Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- James Michael "Mike" Rollo, who spent 25 years as an athletic trainer at the University of Tennessee and more than 30 years with the athletics department passed away on Friday, February 27 at the age of 59.
Rollo, a 1977 graduate of UT, joined the training staff full-time in 1978 under the direction of legendary trainer Tim Kerin, for whom the training room at Tennessee is named. Rollo took over the department as head trainer following Kerin's sudden passing in 1992. He was promoted to Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine in 2001.
"Mike was a great friend," former Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer said. "He absolutely loved the University of Tennessee, which was exemplified in his loyalty for all those years. He was a very important part of our success at Tennessee."
In his 10 seasons as the primary trainer for football, the Volunteers were 100-23, with a pair of SEC championships and the 1998 BCS National Championship.
"I am saddened to hear of the passing of Mike Rollo," said former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. "Mike always gave his all for Tennessee, and I was fortunate to have a strong friendship with him. I had complete trust in Mike, and he always took great care of our team during my time in Knoxville. I always appreciated his efforts in helping me get ready for the Orange Bowl following an injury in the SEC Championship Game in 1997. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time."
Rollo was promoted following Kerin's passing a season before Fulmer took the reins of the football program and served as a valuable assistant in the transition and the success that followed.
"Mike had been a loyal assistant in the training room and was the natural guy to step up," Fulmer said. "When I became head coach, he was literally there at my right hand along with Gary Wyant, David Cutcliffe and John Chavis and some really loyal people that were with me for a very long time. You never had to question Mike's love and loyalty for the University of Tennessee. He did things the right way and we're certainly sorry for his passing."
Rollo also served as Associate Athletics Director for Facilities from 2002-07, where he helped oversee upgrades to Neyland Stadium, Thompson-Boling Arena and Tom Black Track.
"Mike was one of the smartest people I've ever met," said assistant equipment manager Max Parrott. "He could solve a problem more quickly than anyone I've known. Mike had a very analytical mind, and it didn't matter if it was an electrical issue, plumbing, or something in the locker room, he could fix the situation immediately. When we went from paperwork to computers, he became the IT guy for athletics before there was even a department or we knew we needed one. When he was the basketball trainer, he did everything for that program from arranging meals to travel to practice times along with his normal duties as the trainer. I will miss him a great deal and would like to offer my condolences to his family."
Rollo's career at Tennessee began as a student, when he served as manager and later trainer for the men's basketball team. After joining the Tennessee training staff full-time in 1978, he worked primarily with basketball under head coach Don DeVoe.
"I was very sad to hear of Mike's passing," DeVoe said. "Mike Rollo was one of the most devoted employees that I ever worked with at the University of Tennessee and that says a lot because there were a lot of people that were very supportive of our basketball program. He was more than just a basketball trainer, he was a devoted friend to the players that her served while working at the University."
One of those players was current UT broadcaster Bert Bertelkamp, a letterman from 1977-80.
"He wanted to help anybody in any way he could," Bertelkamp said. "It was good to have someone loyal and honest and that you could just count on at all times. I thoroughly enjoyed my years with him as a trainer, but I also enjoyed years after that with him as a friend. I've known him a long time and I'm sad to hear of his passing."
Rollo was also famous for leading intramural teams known as the Lakers in a variety of sports at UT. He served as coach and general manager of teams that dominated sports, typically with current and former athletes leading the way, though not always in the sport for which they were most well known. After exhausting his basketball eligibility, Bertelkamp played on a Laker basketball team with a few guys more famous on the gridiron.
"I played on his basketball team with Reggie White, Mike Cofer, Bill Bates, Doug Walker and a couple of others. We dominated intramurals that year and had a lot of fun. He was dead serious about it and we probably didn't take it as seriously as he did, but we played hard and won it and he was thrilled with it. It meant a lot to him."
Tennessee Director of Broadcasting Bob Kesling first met Rollo when both were students at UT in the early 1970's, when Rollo was the basketball manager.
"Mike was a person that would do anything he could to serve the University of Tennessee in any capacity," Kesling said. "He any and every role that they asked him to do here at Tennessee. I appreciate his years of dedicated service to the athletics department and to the university."
Funeral arrangements will be posted as soon as they are complete.